10 Best WWE Royal Rumble Eliminations Ever

2. Paul London (2005)

WWE Royal Rumble 2005 Paul London Gene Snitsky
WWE.com

Paul London made Gene Snitsky's left-arm clothesline elimination look like the most painful move in wrestling history when he exited the 2005 Royal Rumble via a backwards flip to the floor, but the physical pain didn't compare to the professional aggravation he'd receive as a result.

The bump was absolutely spectacular and instantly memorable - and that was the problem. Management informed London that he'd stolen too much attention from other superstars with his flamboyant departure, and he was subsequently booked to slide down the card in subsequent months.

London later revealed that WWE higher-up Michael Hayes spoke succinctly on it with him afterwards, suggesting that "that was really good...but it was too good". Trapped on Velocity or performing Cruiserweight jobbing duties in the aftermath, it would be a year and a half before a makeshift pairing with Brian Kendrick garnered doubles gold and a chance at redemption.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett